London 2012 Olympics: Saudis allow women to compete

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18571193

What a fucking joke.

Saudi officials say that with the Games now just a few weeks away, the only female competitor at Olympic standard is showjumper Dalma Rushdi Malhas.

So the only one allowed competes in a high-profile, expensive sport involving the upkeep of horse ownership, and, what's more, she was not even born and raised in Saudi Arabia. If that was the case, I doubt she could even pursue this sporting career.

But they added that there may be scope for others to compete and that if successful they would be dressed "to preserve their dignity".

In practice this is likely to mean modest, loose-fitting garments and "a sports hijab", a scarf covering the hair but not the face.

Just like that Afghan athlete that ran in a full tracksuit instead of shorts? Yeah, that will surely keep them competitive and up to par with the rest of the world.[//sarcasm]

I'd love to see their female swimming team, though they effectively mind-trap themselves out of ever getting one, since the values dissonance would be just too great to even bother.

This travesty just summarizes the Muslim concept of forcibly cutting your active population in half, by excluding or effectively handicapping women from performing virtually every activity, to the point that there's no point in trying to do anything else out of what their conservatory society demands.

Small progress is still progress.

More like a half-hearted "concession", which was given more because the sport involved just happened to involve a "modest" dress code, and because the athlete involved was not native-born, so the "moral panic" for internal consumption was minimized. By this rate, they are going to have a female chess team by 2100!

It's extremely unlikely that they will ever allow truly local female athletes to even train for any of the more "usual" olympic sports though, and even if they do, it will be a one-time affair like that Afghan athlete, which seemed more like a forced, half-hearted attempt to send a message to the world that "Afghanistan is changing" and allowed the previously unthinkable....once.

dude, calm down. saudi arabia is a total joke sportswise anyways. their fat manly idiots can only ever compete in clay pigeon shooting. arab countries in general lack any sportsmen they haven't bought from kenya or somalia.

Skin-tight uniforms, exposed butt cheeks, high definition slow-motion video cameras with instant replay, looking forward to the Olympics.

I on the other hand have had enough of the olympics already, and it hasn't even started yet. Not just because I find watching sports mind-numbingly dull, but because it's on the TV, on the radio, on the sides of buses, on my cereal boxes. Do I really need to see the words London 2012 and it's crappy logo several hundred times a day? :(

dew said:

their fat manly idiots can only ever compete in clay pigeon shooting

Hmm...the ones I've seen competing were mostly young, slender, shifty-looking, spoiled princes, and you can bet they use $100000 custom-made shotguns and train by yelling "PULL!" at their philippino caddies and ordering them to run as fast and far as possible ;-)

Since when did you give a shit about women?

Point taken, but I do give more than two shits about Muslims.

Captain Toenail said:

Do I really need to see the words London 2012 and its crappy logo several hundred times a day? :(

Of course. When the panem is harder to come by, the dose of circenses is increased to keep the populace happy.

exp(x) said:

Since when did you give a shit about women?

The Way Of Maes is the #1 guide on how to treat a lady properly.

Dammit Maes I need guidance! Bring it back!

I can imagine a disaster if/when Saudi women are allowed to dive, but only in full burqas.

Krispy said:

I can imagine a disaster if/when Saudi women are allowed to dive, but only in full burqas.

Luckily for Muslim dress codes, these ultra-cool suits are available.